Steal This Look: Guest Cottage Kitchenette by Ikea

Why does the word “kitchenette” sound so retro? When we recently featured a tiny 186-square-foot summer cottage as our Outbuilding of the Week, we admired the way it relies heavily on Ikea to make modern use of every inch of space (giving houseguests an excuse to stay out of sight till after breakfast). Here’s how to recreate the look:

Above: Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

Furnishings first. The secret to making a 186-square-foot cottage look spacious is diminutive furniture. A 30-inch wooden Tripod Table ($199 from West Elm) seats two comfortably. Ikea’s birch plywood Frosta Stool (£8 in Great Britain, but not available in the US) is a copy of the Alvar Aalto original and extremely versatile; it doubles as side table or nightstand when needed.

Above: Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista. The back wall is covered in 4-by-8-foot Wainscot Panels ($19.75 each) from Home Depot.

Above: Braced to deal with the plumbing? An Edsvik chrome faucet is $49.99 and a Fyndig Single Bowl Sink is $26.98; both from Ikea. They’re mounted on a 1.5-inch-thick beechwood Numerí¤r Countertop ($195 for a 73 1/4-inch length from Ikea).